Thanks Brandon, great advice!.. During this test should we be watching out for rim strikes as well the burping? I race in a rocky area and have had several rim strikes during races running tubeless, but never a pinch flat or leak! Just curious how far you push it in regards to rim strikes.
Question for the group: What’s a good Saturday workout on a non competitive weekend? I was going to race XC this Saturday but plans changed. In week 2 of the CX Intervals plan. Need a good 1.5 - 2hr workout which will be followed by a Z2 ride on Sunday.
Yes, you want to make a note of rim strikes and if it’s consistent then perhaps you’re too low. However rim strikes can be the result of just a very rocky course or riding technique. There are some riders that are very smooth and supple, even on rough terrain, while others are like a bull in a china shop! 
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I’m racing 3 days in a row at Jinglecross… how would you all handle the week leading into a triple-header? Current plan is long ride on Sunday, Monday rest, Tues Tabatas, Wed rest, Thurs openers, Fri-Sun race. Is the Tabatas on Tuesday too much considering there will be 3 days of racing intensity later in the week?
New to the forums. Lifelong hockey player newish to riding, and super new to CX.
After three years of endurance riding I’m having a go at New England CX this season and loving it. I’m in the middle of the race and recover program and feeling out the season this year in preparation for a more focused year of training next season. I’m just happy to be active again after the pre-vax pandemic times.
I’m uncharacteristically joining the forum since I am still very much a newbie but looking forward to getting better and seeing how I improve over the next year!
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Question for the fascat coaches… How should I adjust the training plan when all my races are on Sundays (saturdays off)? I obviously can’t do a long ride Monday and CTL is just plummeting with no long rides at all. If I do a long ride Saturday I am not fresh on race day.
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answering myself… bc no one answered. But I have no answers. Sad face.
Its a tough question to answer in a forum, sorry, bc it would require us being able to look at your plan and your races and move some things around keeping in mind the workouts & goals downstream - generally reserved for 1x1 coached athletes.
Sunday races are tough for reasons you cite: can’t do a long ride Saturday. One idea is to not race one weekend for long rides or achieve higher CTL pre-season. There’s good news tho: cx is more about watts and skills than it is CTL 
One step could be adding a long ride after you complete your race on Sunday, i.e., “max out” that day as much as you can.
You’ve already gone anaerobic in the race, so try adding as much Z2 as you can afterward. Some people even do efforts after races because there’s some training ideology that states once your “day has gone anaerobic,” might as well continue training your anaerobic system given you’re going to need to recover from anaerobic efforts anyway. Not saying I agree with (or know much about) this thought, just saying it’s something people do. More info on that here.
you can see how you do with 2-2.5 hours of Z2 with a TSS ~140. I did that earlier this year on the Saturday before a long road race and was fine.
Riding endurance after a race is incredibly difficult and I don’t recommend it unless absolutely necessary. And then thing is you’d have to plan in 3-4-5- post race sessions to produce a meaningful impact.
What will happen in the meantime is that you quickly get tired of doing that! Because often times after a cx race you are:
a) tired
b) freezing cold
c) wet and muddy
d) often times in an urban area where you can’t ride on the roads
e) therefore are on the trainer which makes time tick backwards , especially when tired and cold
I have tried the above ‘technique’ when I was racing at a professional level - riding after criteriums for 2-3 hours and it got old quick. I resorted to a different technique.
Good luck (sorry couldn’t be more helpful) - also would encourage you to hire a coach to creatively help
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Not an option anyway due to travel times. But I tried extended Z2 on the Saturday and that also didn’t work (not enough pep left for the race). Going to try stuffing a couple hours of Z2 on Mondays and easier Tuesdays before Wednesday practise if that makes sense. Fridays off seems like a good idea.
Local pros are still beating me while doing extended rides before and after, but they are about half my age I guess.
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New to the Forum, 60+ Masters CX racer (been at it for several years) just signed on to a 6wks for Nats plan…am starting that in just over a week. In the meantime hoping to get some last-minute base in, as an mtb crash cracked some ribs so have to be careful with speed work and skills for a while.
Could you report back on how the “Z2 on Mondays” works out?
Appreciate the recommendation on the PDX for all conditions. I’ve been liking the tubeless MXPs for the last couple years since moving off tubulars but just learned about the PDX WC model. As you mention they seem to be out of stock everywhere right now, but if anyone is looking for some this eBay seller has them and I received them in two days. I set them up last night and they ride great; they felt solid down to 20 psi and could probably go a little lower. Looking forward to trying them out at the NCCX races this weekend.
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I rode the PDX (tubulars) for a couple years as mud tires. However they always felt squirmy to me on pavement sections; presumably due to the smallish and bendy knobs. I’ve moved over to Challenge Limus, and hoping they’ll do better. I stink in mud anyhow, so even a placebo effect will be nice…
How has the Z2 on Mondays been working out?
Really badly so far… I usually drive home Sunday night after an afternoon race, for several hours, and then spend up to a few hours cleaning bikes if it’s a Mudder. Then I get no rest or sleep Sunday night and am exhausted Monday. Monday evenings were when I did all the catch up bike work before. Sunday races are very awkward. I have not figured this out yet. I think if my races were local or mornings or anything it would all be fine.
#sleepwhendead
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The regular (non-WC) version is available from Bike Tires Direct.
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Ok, first of 6 week plan out of the way, tomorrow is my first CX race since the muddy Nationals in 2019. Fingers crossed!
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Orchard CX was a muddy sufferfest. Perfect reentry to racing! The first week of the Plan (adapted for a Sunday race, vs Saturday) seemed to work well. Had a good first lap, and hung on well enough to only lose 2 spots from a last lap dropped chain and bike change. Next week is Northampton, both days…
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